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Renting an Apartment in Carrboro
What You Should Know
Carrboro is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The
population was 16,782 at the 2000 census.
History
Known originally as West End because of its location west of Chapel Hill,
Carrboro was settled in 1882 around a spur of the Durham-Greensboro Southern
Railway. The railroad stop was located about a mile west of the University of
North Carolina (UNC) campus in order not to disturb the local population and to
make it more difficult for students to leave campus by train.
Settlement in West End increased after Thomas F. Lloyd of Chapel Hill built the
Alberta Cotton Mill next to the railroad depot in 1890. Julian Shakespeare Carr
bought this and other nearby buildings in 1909, adding them to the network of
mills that became the Durham Hosiery Mills. West End was incorporated in 1911
and renamed Venable in honor of chemistry professor and UNC president Francis
Preston Venable. Just two years later, the town was renamed Carrboro, after Carr
began providing streets and electric power to the community and expanding the
mill buildings.
The original mill changed hands several times over the succeeding decades. The
Carrboro Board of Aldermen intended to have it demolished in 1975 until a
community petition and fundraising effort provided for its restoration as Carr
Mill Mall.
The railroad depot in Carrboro also served the local lumber industry, and
Carrboro became a major hub in the hardwood cross-tie market.
Carrboro's nickname, "The Paris of the Piedmont," comes from a humorous,
sarcastic comment by John Martin, a reporter for the now-defunct Chapel Hill
Weekly. In 1970, Nyle Frank, now a musician but then a graduate student in
political science at the nearby University of North Carolina, organized an
alternative "Invisible University," and announced plans to have himself crowned
as the institution's new "King," in Carrboro. Martin commented, "I can see it
now -- The Paris of the Piedmont."[1]
Carrboro today
Located near Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina, Carrboro has a
reputation as one of the most liberal communities in the Southern United States.
It was the first municipality in North Carolina to elect an openly gay mayor,
Mike Nelson, in 1995 and the first municipality in the state to grant
domestic-partner benefits to same-sex couples. In October 2002, Carrboro was
among the first municipalities in the South to pass resolutions opposing the
Iraq War and the USA PATRIOT Act. Carrboro is the former home of the large
internet/mail order x-rated media and sex toy retailer known as Adam & Eve, as
well as PHE, Inc[2]. One of Carrboro's attractions is the Carrboro Farmer's
Market, which features local organic produce, locally produced cheeses, baked
goods, and handmade crafts. Created in 1977, the Carrboro Farmers' Market was
one of the earliest to link farmers directly with their customers. The Carrboro
Farmers' Market requires that everything sold must be grown or produced within a
fifty-mile radius of Carrboro.
In the early 1990s, a sizable influx of Latino immigrants began moving to
Carrboro, attracted by jobs in the building and service trades. As these
immigrants settled in Carrboro, they brought the foods and cultures of their
native countries to the town. Carrboro is now home to three Latino tiendas
(grocery stores). Other businesses, including national grocery chains, adapted
to the change in demographics by stocking a wider variety of Central and South
American food products.
Carrboro has a thriving arts scene. The town is known for the Carrboro Music
Festival, an all-day event which celebrates local music with performances
throughout the downtown area. The music festival began in 1998 as the Fête de la
Musique, and was held on the summer solstice. In 2002, the name of the event was
changed to the Carrboro Music Festival. In order to increase attendance, the
event was moved to the fall, avoiding the summer heat. Carrboro is also home to
the two-day annual Carrboro International Poetry Festival created by former
Carrboro Poet Laureate Patrick Herron.
Carrboro is home to two music venues that host national and regional acts. The
Carrboro ArtsCenter hosts nationally known roots music acts, such as David
Lindley, Leon Russell, and Dr. John. The ArtsCenter also holds art classes,
dance classes, and art exhibitions. Not far away, The Cat's Cradle typically
hosts more rock acts than the ArtsCenter, but a number of musicians have played
both venues.
In June 2004, WCOM began broadcasting at 103.5 FM in Carrboro. WCOM is a
low-power FM station featuring music, community affairs, and Spanish-language
programming. The station is volunteer-run and all shows feature local radio
talent.
Government and politics
Carrboro uses a council-manager form of government. The community elects a mayor
and 6 aldermen to a Board of Aldermen. Mayors serve 2-year terms, and aldermen
serve staggered 4-year terms.
Geography
Carrboro is located at 35°55′14″N, 79°5′2″W (35.920422, -79.083933)GR1.
According to the US Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 11.6 km² (4.5
mi²). 11.6 km² (4.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.22% is water.
Effective January 31, 2006, the total area of the town increased to
approximately 12.9 km² (5.0 mi²).
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 16,782 people, 7,570 households, and
3,126 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,449.6/km²
(3,753.7/mi²). There were 8,207 housing units at an average density of 708.9/km²
(1,835.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 72.67% White, 13.54% African
American, 0.36% Native American, 5.15% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 5.85% from
other races, and 2.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race
were 12.29% of the population.
There were 7,570 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 29.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 58.7% were non-families. 37.1% of all
households were made up of individuals and 4.5% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average
family size was 3.01.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 21.4%
from 18 to 24, 40.3% from 25 to 44, 14.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there
were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,527, and the median income
for a family was $47,330. Males had a median income of $30,099 versus $31,090
for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,429. About 11.0% of
families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including
13.1% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over. As with
neighboring Chapel Hill, affordable housing has become a pressing local issue.
Basic Apartment Information
An apartment (or flat in Britain and most other Commonwealth countries) is a
self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building. Apartments
may be owned (by an owner-occupier) or rented (by tenants).
Some apartment-dwellers own their apartments, either as co-ops, in which the
residents own shares of a corporation that owns the building or development; or
in condominiums, whose residents own their apartments and share ownership of the
public spaces. Most apartments are in buildings designed for the purpose, but
large older houses are sometimes divided into apartments. The word apartment
connotes a residential unit or section in a building. Apartment building owners,
lessors, or managers often use the more general word units to refer to
apartments. Units can be used to refer to rental business suites as well as
residential apartments. When there is no tenant occupying an apartment, the
lessor is said to have a vacancy. For apartment lessors, each vacancy represents
a loss of income from rent-paying tenants for the time the apartment is vacant
(i.e., unoccupied). Lessors' objectives are often to minimize the vacancy rate
for their units. The owner of the apartment typically transfers possession to
the occupant by giving him/her the key to the apartment entrance door and any
other keys need to live there, such as a common key to the building or any other
common areas, and an individual unit mailbox key. When the occupant move out,
these keys should typically be returned to the owner.
Apartments can be classified into several types. Studio, efficiency, bed-sit, or
bachelor apartments tend to be the smallest apartments with the cheapest rents
in a given area. These kinds of apartment usually consist mainly of a large room
which is the living, dining, and bedroom combined. There are usually kitchen
facilities as part of this central room, but the bathroom is its own smaller
separate room. Moving up from the efficiencies are one-bedroom apartments where
one bedroom is a separate room from the rest of the apartment. Then there are
two-bedroom, three-bedroom, etc. apartments. Small apartments often have only
one entrance/exit. Large apartments often have two entrances/exits, perhaps a
door in the front and another in the back. Depending on the building design, the
entrance/exit doors may be directly to the outside or to a common area inside,
such as a hallway. Depending on location, apartments may be available for rent
furnished with furniture or unfurnished into which a tenant usually moves in
with his/her own furniture. Permanent carpeting is often included in an
apartment.
Laundry facilities are usually kept in a separate area accessible to all the
tenants in the building. Depending on when the building was built and the design
of the building, utilities such as water, heating, and electric may be common
for all the apartments in the building or separate for each apartment and billed
separately to each tenant (however, many areas in the US have ruled it illegal
to split a water bill among all the tenants, especially if a pool is on the
premises). Outlets for connection to telephones are typically included in
apartments. Telephone service is optional and is practically always billed
separately from the rent payments. Cable television and similar amenities are
extra also. Parking space, air conditioner, and extra storage space may or may
not be included with an apartment. Rental leases often limit the maximum number
of people who can reside in each apartment. On or around the ground floor of the
apartment building, a series of mailboxes are typically kept in a location
accessible to the public and, thus, to the letter-carrier too. Every unit
typically gets its own mailbox with individual keys to it. Some very large
apartment buildings with a full-time staff may take mail from the mailman and
provide mail-sorting service. Near the mailboxes or some other location
accessible by outsiders, there may be a buzzer (equivalent to a doorbell) for
each individual unit. In smaller apartment buildings such as two- or
three-flats, or even four-flats, garbage is often disposed of in trash
containers similar to those used at houses. In larger buildings, garbage is
often collected in a common trash bin or dumpster. For cleanliness or minimizing
noise, many lessors will place restrictions on tenants regarding keeping pets in
an apartment.
In some parts of the world, the word apartment is used generally to refer to a
new purpose-built self-contained residential unit in a building, whereas the
word flat means a converted self-contained unit in an older building. An
industrial, warehouse, or commercial space converted to an apartment is commonly
called a loft.
When part of a house is converted for the ostensible use of a landlord's family
member, the unit may be known as an in-law apartment or granny flat, though
these (sometimes illegally) created units are often occupied by ordinary renters
rather than family members. In Canada these suites are commonly located in the
basements of houses and are therefore normally called basement suites.
Staying in privately owned apartments rather than in a hotel is quickly becoming
popular with travelers.
Some Things to Consider When Looking for a Place...
When searching for a new apartment make sure to take your time to think
through what are the most important things to you in an apartment and plan your
search based on those priorities. Here are some things to consider when planning
your move:
1. Consider the areas where you would like to live
* What is the crime rate?
* If you have children - what rating does the local school system have?
* Is there area convenient shopping, health and recreation services in the area?
2. Make a list of your housing priorities
* Do you have pets?
* Do you need parking?
* Do you need to be on the ground floor?
* What amenities are important to you - swimming pool, fitness room, in unit
laundry?
3. Evaluate the building
* What is the condition of the unit and building?
* Are the grounds maintained?
* Are windows, steps, and railings in good condition?
* View the property at night. Is it safe and well lit?
4. The security of the property
* Are there security service? When is the guard on duty?
* Does the building have controlled access?
* Does each unit have secure door and window locks?
5. Talk to the neighbors
* Ask other residents whether they are satisfied with the building.
6. Amenities
* Who is allowed to use the amenities?
* When are they open?
* Are the fees charged to use those facilities included in rent?
7. Ask about Utilities
* Does the owner or tenant pay the utility bills?
* Are any utilities included with monthly rent?
* Do units have separate thermostats to control heat and air conditioning?
8. Review the lease
* How much notice must you give before moving out?
* Can the rent be increased? If so, by how much and how often?
* Are pets allowed?
* What is the security deposit and cleaning costs upon move out?
* What is the responsibility of tenants for damage to property?
* Is there a penalty for breaking a lease?
9. Information too bring to a lease signing
* Credit Report
* Pay stubs/tax returns
* Reference
* Application